im in art school now at the university of nebraska. our program in graphic design is poor. we learn shit straight from the book of the adobe suite. dont need school for it... just go out and learn and intern on your own time... it will mean more.. school kinda helps the network not really needed. only positives is proper training for learning about art in galleries and shit

Two things. 1. It depends on the school. 2. personal preference. I just think their are so many factors when it comes down to deciding this. I taught myself graphic design, so I just think that I could learn it on my own. With that being said, I just think it's a waste of time especially adding onto my plans in life. I just believe you should go for something universal, depending on what you want to do with graphic design. I'm a designer and create clothing, so instead of taking a graphic design class, I'm going to become a business major.

you could know graphic design but there are soooo much stuff you could learn about the process and even working with clients... i think i see more jobs in line for my friend who graduated than friends who learned on their own and never took classes.

i think if anyone is doing anything that could be freelance based (like graphic design), marketing or business would be some good shit to learn

My brother in-law has been doing graphic design and making bank without going to college for anything. Self-made. He's been doing mixtape covers, twitter layouts, and websites for big names. He did Khaled & 50s twitter awhile back and he's still making bank by doing other stuff as well. It all depends, really.

<p>Im a fine art major (photo concentration) now and I can def say that I learned A LOT in the little time i’ve been one. It’s def worth it if you want to learn everything about your field.</p>

I'm a freshman at UofM Art & Design, and I can say it will be worth it if you know your going down the creative path way. You learn about everything. As in e v e r y t h i n g. Also, you have space, labs, materials, equipment, everything you may need is usually readily available. Which is the real benefit.

Definitely, the biggest benefit is by far the unlimited studio time. Shit is beyond awesome. As for the creative path, i'm learning (and practicing) a lot more about how to properly communicate my ideals to the viewer through the use of metaphors and conceptual ideas. I don't consider myself an artist yet, but I feel like after i'm done with the schools program, I will.

I've never taken a photography class at all. It all depends on your personal drive and hustle. You can inquire about purchasing darkroom membership at local universities and community colleges and I'm sure you can find a local photography studio to intern at for other tips and tricks. Every industry is about what you can do and who you know. Do everything you can in YOUR power to get where you can but school definitely helps you have a structure. I hope this perspective helps a little

I think it's worth it, if only for the networking and learning a bit about the professional side of your industry. It's my senior year studying design, I honestly don't think I'm learned all that much process/technique wise, but the people I've met make up for all the bullshit.

Depends on what.. for web design/ui/interaction I think there are some valuable classes/lessons to be learned.. but nothing you can't pick up from the book or the internet.

I know a lot of successful dudes in Ads who didn't have all that much schooling and went on to become creative directors, etc. For something like design.. it's tough to teach a particular style. You can learn a lot about different things and spend hours on relevant assignments, but it's largely something personal that you have to put in the work to develop on your own. In other words, you have to genuinely love making stuff. I know some guys who went to CMU school of design and they're okay.. but not as good as some people i've seen who went their way into anything art-related on their own.

All things equal, everyone's technique is going to be the same. Better design schools with better brand names just have students who can use larger vocabulary to justify what they've made to people. You'll have that one rare case... but largely, the person will be the exception to the rule.

There is a lot of mediocre shit out there.. but you have to be honest with yourself when you're designing so you can always be growing. A lot of people develop enormous egos but don't have the work to show for it because they've become complacent. It's fucking bizarre man.. seeing people develop that way because they think that everyone should follow how they see the world. If you don't expose yourself to wanting to be better, then it's harder to embrace new stuff (and in design, there's always something new). In all, with the right work ethic, some sense, and a lot of time.. you'll be okay.

Lots of good resources out there.. smashingmagazine, photoshop tutorials... i'd just open up photoshop and start deconstructing stuff that you see everyday and try to put your own twist on it. You'll be wack when you start out but you'll grasp it if you keep going.

Depends on what.. for web design/ui/interaction I think there are some valuable classes/lessons to be learned.. but nothing you can't pick up from the book or the internet.

I know a lot of successful dudes in Ads who didn't have all that much schooling and went on to become creative directors, etc. For something like design.. it's tough to teach a particular style. You can learn a lot about different things and spend hours on relevant assignments, but it's largely something personal that you have to put in the work to develop on your own. In other words, you have to genuinely love making stuff. I know some guys who went to CMU school of design and they're okay.. but not as good as some people i've seen who went their way into anything art-related on their own.

All things equal, everyone's technique is going to be the same. Better design schools with better brand names just have students who can use larger vocabulary to justify what they've made to people. You'll have that one rare case... but largely, the person will be the exception to the rule.

There is a lot of mediocre shit out there.. but you have to be honest with yourself when you're designing so you can always be growing. A lot of people develop enormous egos but don't have the work to show for it because they've become complacent. It's fucking bizarre man.. seeing people develop that way because they think that everyone should follow how they see the world. If you don't expose yourself to wanting to be better, then it's harder to embrace new stuff (and in design, there's always something new). In all, with the right work ethic, some sense, and a lot of time.. you'll be okay.

Lots of good resources out there.. smashingmagazine, photoshop tutorials... i'd just open up photoshop and start deconstructing stuff that you see everyday and try to put your own twist on it. You'll be wack when you start out but you'll grasp it if you keep going.

props!

http://pureandgood.tumblr.com/ IG: thevictoryspeech

November 24, 2011 @ 06:41 PM

Inactive

honestly, no I think its a waste. your spending thousands upon thousands for access to darkrooms and computer software, and knowledge on how to make your art marketable. Major in something you want to learn about, for example Im doing International Relations cos Im into journalism and documentaries and shit. I still do photo, just continuing to self-educate, cos I want to do videography, photojournalism. and just travel. As an artist, your going into art school after spending mad bread, hoping that you'll make it in life by selling your art. Most artist dont get paid enough to survive off their art. Get a different degree and still do art. Its all self-expression you dont need anybody to teach you how. Just continue to get inspiration from the world and you'll be fine. Staying in the college apmosphere will help too, cos you will meet artist alike and just expand from there.

I would say Film is worth and Graph can be depending on how much you put in. Really thats what it comes down to personally i am Industrial Design major and a lot of the things I couldnt learn being out there. Really its applied art into an industry that will always be neeeded

You go to school to learn to learn, they force you in exercising that, drawing/researching etc, so unless you already do that and have the knowledge/skills, it may not be necessary to go to college, but you will have to build a clientel and campaign yourself.

for technique? naw. as long as you are driven, the best class you can take is the internet. if you know what to look for, you can improve yourself. and you have to actually involve yourself in what you want to know as well. you can do research for years before buying a camera, but none of it will make perfect sense until you actually get a camera or start designing things yourself.

for jobs though? hell yes. any kind of arts based industry (film/tv/photography/music) is completely about who you know. you could be the best photographer in the world, but living in smalltown usa, and unless you know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy, then nothing will happen to you. that's where these schools help, they introduce you to people who are already in the industry, as well as providing you an invaluable resource in your colleagues.

go to art school for the connections you will make.
that's why i want to go to film school..

Good question ... I speak from Graphic Design experience so here's my answer.

I came from a graffiti background. Went to a vocational school, 1 year, for design and when I graduated they put me in Kinkos type of jobs. School just taught me how to use the programs, not what to do with it. I kept those weak jobs while teaching myself on my time off. Learned alot from books, internet, and mentors. Ended up learing a lot on my own and developing skills that I decided to finally go the Freelance route. Once I built a name for myself and my work spoke for itself then I felt a degree wasn't really necessary. I've landed gigs with Adidas, Scion, Jabbawockeez, Lyrics Born, Om-Records, and Exact-Science without the need for a degree. That was just on the strength of word of mouth and letting my work speak for me. I did end up going back to school to get a BFA to make my parents really feel like I graduated. Hope that helps.

It's worth it to you if you really make the most out of it. I started at an art school within my high school learning video production, finally graduating with BFA in film.

Did I get a lot out of it? Yes and no. Like most here said, word of mouth is very important if you plan on making a career out of it. I've learned the most applicable to the real world once working in post out in the real world. I noticed that having my background and experience from school definitely helped me in excelling quicker.

I think talent &amp; knowledge will always be in demand - There are many &quot;college educated graphic designers&quot; that produce very standard shit, however there are some amazing self taught guys who go MIA &amp; are not reliable at all.

I have been debating this for so long, I started at the University of Arizona with the intention of going into their Visual Communication program which is basically Graphic Design if you take that route, but all I spent doing for the first year was gen-eds which I couldn't stand, so I dropped out. From that one year of class at a University of 40,000 kids I would have to say it was a huge waste of time and you could learn so much more in four years on your own with the right materials.

The hard part about trying to learn design on your own is staying motivated to get out there and find jobs and learn something new everyday. The only limits you have are placed upon you by yourself and that's what you have to fight against. I go to a community college for graphic design classes and I would have to say it has been a much better experience than the University, my teacher was a creative director for Lisa Frank for 15 years, so he knows how the industry works, he gives us so much advice and knowledge that you can't just get reading articles on the internet.

Overall I would say it's a waste of money if your teachers don't actually have any real world experience to share with you, because everything you learn in most classrooms just comes out of a book, unless you have a real special teacher which changes everything. One thing I recently realized is... BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! Why do you think they wrote books? To spread the knowledge and truth to people who want to learn it. If you are interested in illustration or graphic design or branding or even just want to be inspired by driven people read, Logo Design Love and Vector Basic Training.

Edit: One thing that a diploma does show people is that you can get things finished, the fact that you did four years at a University probably means you won't pick up a job and just ghost on the client. Some clients have a hard time believing you are good without a degree, that's why you gotta make sure you have a kickass portfolio.

good lookin out regionnaire....good read. it is hard to motivate yourself sometimes though...when you're in college and taking a class, you pretty much know you''ll spend at least an hr working on your project. when you're out on your own and probably have a job...you tend to put thangs off...

I graduated already with a degree in business...i wasn't sure if i'd go back for some type of design.

mostly everything you can learn from art school you can learn on the internet these days, what really counts when attending one is what you get from teachers and students as well as your experiences with them. at least that's what what i've realized so far.